The Bernalillo County commissioner is pushing for an update to workplace drug policies

BERNALILLO COUNTY, NM – As times change, Bernalillo County Commissioner Eric Olivas says workplace drug policies in the county need to change.

Olivas is pushing to update the policy to treat cannabis more like alcohol and says employees shouldn’t be penalized for legally using marijuana outside of work hours.

Commissioners will discuss the issue at their meeting on Tuesday. Currently, Bernalillo County employees undergo pre-employment and, in some cases, random drug testing.

But Olivas is supporting a new resolution that would change the policy’s definition of illegal drugs to no longer include cannabis. This means employees will continue to be tested for drugs, but not for marijuana.

However, there are some exceptions, including police officers who carry firearms and people who are required to have a commercial driver’s license.

Olivas says some county employees really benefit from using marijuana as medicine, particularly people whose jobs include manual labor.

“People who are more blue-collar are more prone to back injuries and chronic pain. Instead of making people use Oxycontin and opioids like that, I think this opens up the opportunity for our workforce to use other means that we know are proven to be effective and have been accepted for a long time,” Olivas said.

Olivas also believes updating the policy will make the county more attractive to job seekers.

“I think it puts the county at a disadvantage as an employer if they don’t allow their employees to use this, and there are some limited exceptions, but really it just puts us in line with what other private sector employers are doing. “,” Olivas said.

Commissioners will vote on the resolution at their meeting Tuesday. If it passes, they will also have to vote on the new policy, and that comes later.